What to do in the moment when the urge feels strong

There are moments when the urge feels strong.

Not something you’re thinking about, something you’re already in. A pull towards food that feels immediate, and difficult to step away from.

And in those moments, it can feel as though there are only two options; to try and stop it completely, or to give in to it.

What began to change things for me was realising there might be something in between.

A small space.

Not to stop the urge.

But to slow it down.

At first, this felt unfamiliar, because my instinct was always to react quickly. To move towards the food, or to try and push the urge away. But neither of those approaches created much space. So instead, I began to pause.

Even briefly. Sometimes just standing sill for a moment. Taking a breath. Noticing what was happening in my body.

This wasn’t about trying to get rid of the urge, it was about allowing a small amount of space within it. And in that space, something began to shift. Not alwasy dramatically, but enough.

Sometimes I would still eat, and that was ok. Because even in those moments, something had changed. There was more awareness. Less of that automatic disconnected feeling.

Over time, those small pauses began to feel more familiar. Less forced. More like something I could return to.

If the urge feels strong you don’t have to stop it completely, and you don’t have to rush straight into it either.

There is a small space in between.

And even finding that, for a moment, can begin to change things.

For more information please also see this post

If you’d like something to guide you through those moments, I’ve created a gentle reset you can use – its linked below: